Throughout the later stages of their career, AC/DC
have taken good care of ensuring a steady flow of live videos — beginning with
1992's «classic» Live At Donington —
but it has been 20 years now since they last released a live audio album, and
the reasons are obvious: since most AC/DC shows sound exactly the same way, the
only proper way to «relive» an AC/DC show is through the appropriate picture.
Basically, what good is a live Angus chord when unaccompanied by an Angus
grimace? And how are we supposed to tolerate the irritating gurgling produced
by Brian Johnson's larynx if we do not simultaneously get to watch him
fist-pumping the air, in that ever-present working man wife-beater?

So the natural question is — why did they
finally decide to combine the release of this live show, filmed and taped in
December 2009 at a Buenos Aires stadium, with a 2-CD audio release? Can there
be anything special about this performance?
Are AC/DC finally, almost fourty years into their career, going to give us a
big surprise? Yes, they are... with a seventeen-minute
performance of ʽLet There Be Rockʼ. Bet you didn't see that one coming.

No, of course not. The only reason for the
existence of Live At River Plate is
to act as a remin­der — it has now been thirty years since these guys came back
in black to us, and they are still here, and they are still kicking the same
old ass. To be honest, they do not kick it quite
the same way — not so much age, as basic stage professionalism has set in, and
even the wildest of the wildest of Angus' ecstatic outbursts seem more
disciplined and «ingrained» than they used to be. But that is probably
inevitable: the important thing is, the lads prove the point — not only do they
not sound in the slightest like old
relics, but, on the contrary, the old war machine is still well-oiled and
running faster and tighter than ever. Plus, of course, all the technological benefits
of modern production — guitars, drums, bass, vocals, everything sounds cleaner
and more distinct than ever before. Nothing but the best for these guys — well,
you'd probably have a right to noth­ing but the best, too, after spending
fourty years in the business.

All of which, of course, guarantees one and exactly
one listen to the album, upon which you may safely return it to your local
library or collector's shelf. The fact that they decided to include re­cordings
from one show only (actually, three nights were involved, but these are petty
details) gives this better continuity and authenticity than the Live album from 1992, but also surmises
the inavoidable — most of the songs are well-known crowd pleasers; in fact, 12
out of 19 songs over­lap with Live,
with 4 others played from the latest studio album — essentially, only the deci­sion
to bring back to life ʽShot Down In Flamesʼ and ʽDog Eat Dogʼ comes across as
mildly surprising, and not particularly indicative of the whole atmosphere.

So what is there to comment upon? Brian
Johnson's voice is in good form for his age, proving that the studio feats of Black Ice were not performed by a fake
(but we trust the band on that one — if we stop trusting AC/DC, what else is
there remaining in the world to trust?). The Young brothers remain reliable warhorses.
The Argentinian audiences are enthusiastic to the core (after all, for most
people in the world, AC/DC is the next best thing to soccer, and some don't
even see the difference all that well). Angus does his striptease thing on ʽThe
Jackʼ, which only works for the video — on the audio, the unsuspecting novice
simply gets to wonder what the hell it is that makes the people go ga-ga as the
band is simply pushing a melody-less 12-bar structure on them for ages. The new
songs mesh in well with the old stuff (although I, for one, would love to hear
ʽAnything Goesʼ for a change). The 17-minute jam on ʽLet There Be Rockʼ is overcooked
be­yond mercy, but at least most of it is set to the song's general frantic
pace, so feel free to indulge your inner headbanger until the head finally falls
off.

In short, the universe still stands, so, if
anything, a two-hour long listen to Live
At River Plate is simply a good remedy against the hidden menace of the
Mayan calendar for those who think they might need one. Global financial
crisis? Arab Spring? Justin Bieber? Go on, take one more bite of AC/DC — add
some much-needed stability to your life. Even in the 21st century, some things
never change, and that's cool by me.

3 comments:

Exactly, but that's the point. There was more than a small section of fans clamoring for a CD copy of the DVD release, and the Young Brothers saw fit to answer that prayer a year or so later (no doubt after everyone who wanted it purchased the video). Also, in a rather ironic way, the CD release actually ISN'T the DVD audio on CD. I've read a few reviews complaining about the mix of the CD as compared with the DVD; apparently, the DVD allowed for dynamic range whereas the powers-that-be decided to play into the loudness wars with the CD.